Spinning projectile fuzes



? pril 4, 1952 H. JUNGHANS ETAL 3,030,886

SPINNING PROJECTILE FUZES Filed Feb. 18, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 aha. M

50c VIII 56 INVENTOR. H J/n9ha-n:

BY Pal/Z Kaiser warezfi ggkwm April 24, 1962 H, JUNGHANS ETAL 3,630,836

SPINNING PROJECTILE FUZES 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 18, 1958 INVENTORS rflmglavzs BY P. Kasey m @r& fi/lwv M4:

A ztw- April 24, 1962 Filed Feb. 18, 1958 H. JUNGHANS ETAL SPINNING PROJECTILE FUZES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN V EN TORS l /rJuT giz 'ns BY R A26 1 United States Patent Ofitite 3,33%,885 Patented Apr. 24, 1962 many, and Paul Kaiser, Weihergasse 28, Schramberg, Germany v Filed Feb. 18, 1958, Ser. No. 715,939 Claims priority, application Germany Feb. 20, 1957 6 Claims. (Cl. 102-71),

The invention relates to spinning projectile fuzes, more especially those with graze fuzing and perhaps a selfdestroying device, and is concerned with a safe period device for such fuzes, more especially in the form of a safety device in the field. The object of the invention is to provide a safe period device having a comparatively long life by means which are of simple construction and easily manufactured. The invention is characterised in that a '(first) centrifugal spiral for safe period purposes controls the locking and release of an intermediate memher which is movable axially in the fuze and is under the action of an advancing force, the said member in its turn engaging in bell formation over a second centrifugal spiral which secures the primer pin, and locks and releases the latter.

In one preferred constructional form of the invention, a piston is mounted in a cylindrical recess of the fuze housing, preferably the fuze base, and the said piston has arranged on its flat face facing the pointed end of the fuze the first centrifugal spiral which, in the wound or tightened condition, holds enclosed centrifugal elements such as .balls or segments under an abutment opposite. the piston face, the said. spiral in the unwoundor loosened condition emerging from beneath the abutment and releasing the piston for forward movement. Provided on that side of the piston face facing the 'base of the fuze is an annular rim by which the piston engages over the second centrifugal. spiral bearing on the flat base of the cylindrical recess, which in its turn engages over an enclosed centrifugal member which is positioned beneath a collar of the primer pin to secure the latter. The force for moving the piston forward can be supplied by a coil spring fitted with initial tension behind the piston, or by centrifugal segments which co-operate with roof-like bevelled surfaces on the underside of the piston and which at the same time can embrace the second centrifugal spiral.

In another constructional form of the invention, the bell-shaped intermediate member is mounted as a guiding means on the striker pin and the advancing spring is fitted between the intermediate member and a bridge positioned over the second centrifugal spiral and formed with openings through which engages that aim of the bellshaped intermediate member which is cut away for forming holding arms, in order that the second centrifugal spiral may be heldcompressed in the wound condition. The masses which are given a movement relatively to the projectile body on firing are made smaller by this construction.

Further features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of three constructional examples, the drawings and the claims. In the'FIGURES, which are on an enlarged scale,

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section through a spinning projectile fuze with graze fuzing and a self-destroying device according to the first constructional example, the functional parts being in the position prior tofiring;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section corresponding to FIGURE 1, showing the functional parts after firing and ,after acceleration has ceased; FIGURE 3 is a top view on the line II--II of FIGURE FIGURE 4 .is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the fuze of the second constructional example in the position prior to firing;

FIGURE 5 is a top view on the line IVIV of FIG URE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal section of the fuze according to FIGURE 4 after firing and after acceleration has ceased;

FIGURE 7 is a top view on the line VIVI of FIG- URE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the fuze according to the third constructional example in the position prior to firing;

FIGURE 9 is a plan view on the line VII-IVIII of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal section corresponding to FIGURE 8 after firing and after completion of the acceleration phase; I

FIGURE 11 is a plan view on the line X-X of FIG- URE 10. v

The fuze base is indicated at 10 and the fuze cap at 11. 12 is the percussion pin, 13 the priming pin, 14 the primer pellet. Formed on the upper side of the base 10 is the cylindrical recess 10a which accommodates the piston 15.v Arranged on the upper face 15a of the piston 15 is the centrifugal spiral 16. When this spiral is wound or tight (FIGURE 1), it encloses four balls 17 and a small plate 18 loosely fitted on to the priming pin 13 and holds the balls 17 in the range of a disc-shaped abutment 'member 19 arranged on the underside of a plate 20 which forms the upper closure means of the recess 10a and is fixed by means of the fuze cap 11.

v A peripheral flange 15b is provided by means of which the piston 15 is guided in the recess 10a, the piston 15 being formed with a circular rib 15c by which it engages over the second centrifugal spiral 21 when it is in its wound condition. Serving as winding core for the spiral 21 is a bushing 22 which is formed with a lateral slot at 22a.and accommodates a centrifugal safety catch 23 which is somewhat broader than the wall thickness of the bushing 22 in order to project into the bore of the bushing and engage under a collar 13a on the priming pin 13. An advancing spring is indicated at 24. V V The safe period device according to the first constructional example (FIGURES 1-3) operates in the following manner: In the rest position, the first centrifugal spiral 16 holds the locking balls 17' under the abutment member 19 and the advancing force exerted by the spring 24 is therefore taken up by the abutment member 1?. The pistion 15 must therefore remain in its original position and secures the second centrifugal spiral 21.

After firing and upon completion of the acceleration phase, the first centrifugal spiral can be unwound; it bears against the bore 10a (FIGURES 2 and 3), supported by the centrifugal force of the locking balls 17. As soon as the locking balls 17 have moved beyondthe abutment member 19, the piston 15 is free, the spring 24 can move it forward and the annular rib 15c frees the second centrifugal spiral 21. This can now be unwound (FIGURE 2) and also permits thecentrifugal safety member 23 to emerge from its slot 22a in the bushing 22. The priming pin 13 is thus armed. A self-destroying device Z responding to decreasing spinning speed of the projectile can be arranged on the plate 20. One of the components of such a self-destroying device is a centrifugal lever Z which serves to control a striker member Z on which acts a striker spring Z and drives the striker member against a ring Z pushed on to the priming pin 13.

In the second constructional example (FIGURES 4-7) a piston 30 is fitted into the recess 10a of the fuse base 10. The first centrifugal spiral is again arranged on its outer face 30a; instead of locking balls, the spiral encloses locking segments 32 which serve as a winding core for the spiral. As in the first constructional example, an abutment member 19 is provided beneath which the locking segments 32 are disposed as long as they are held together by the first centrifugal spiral 32 when the latter is in the wound or tightened position.

As in the first constructional example, the priming pin 13 is secured by means of a centrifugal safety member 23 which is positioned beneath the collar 13a, and a bushing 22 with a slot for the part 23 is also provided as winding core for the second centrifugal spiral 33. By contrast to the first constructional example, the advancing spring for the piston 30 is omitted in this case. Instead, the piston 30 is formed on its underside with a conical surface 30b, ring segments 34 which rest on the base 101) and which are formed on top with conical surfaces of the same slope as the surfaces 30b in order to permit an axial advancing component to be set up on the piston 30 between the surfaces 30b and 34 under the action of centrifugal force. The ring segments 34 at the same time serve the purpose of holding the second centrifugal spiral 33 in the wound condition until the projectile is fired.

It would also be conceivable that the advancing force on the piston 30 could also be produced by centrifugal lugs being stamped, bent out or moulded on the piston, these lugs cooperating with conical surfaces on the base 1% of the recess and lifting the piston after the outward movement of the first centrifugal spiral 31. The segments 34 would then become superfluous.

In the third constructional example ('FIGURES 8-11), the bell-shaped intermediate member 50 is displace'ably mounted on the stem portion 13b of the priming pin 13; it has a cylindrical hub 50a. Arranged on the plate 51, which closes the recess 10a at the upper end, is an annular attachment 51a of the same diameter as the hub 50a. As shown in FIGURE 8, the cylindrical portions 50a and 51a serve as winding cores for the centrifugal spirals 52 and 53 when the fuze is in the rest position. Mounted between the end faces of the attachments 50a and 51a is the locking member 54. This member serves the same purpose as the balls 17 in the first example and the segments 32 in the second example, i.e. it prevents the ad vancing movement of the bell-shaped intermediate member 50 as long as the spirals 52 and 53 are in the wound position and hold the locking member 54 in place.

The priming pin 13 is again provided with a collar 13'a under which bears a centrifugal locking member 23. This member is again mounted in the slotted bushing 22 described in the previous examples and the said bushing again serves as winding core for the second centrifugal spiral, which in this case is indicated at 55. Engaging over the spiral S is the bridge member 56, which is a drawn sheet metal part with the diameter of the bore a, the purpose thereof being to form an abutment for the biased advancing spring 57. In order that the bell-shaped intermediate member can secure the second centrifugal spiral 55, the rim of the bell is suitably cut away for the purpose of forming arms 50b and recesses 56a through which the arms 50b engage are formed in the upper portion of the bridge 56.

In this constructional example, the first centrifugal spiral consists of two spirals wound one within the other, the spiral 52 being narrower than the spiral 53. In actual fact, the spiral 52 is narrower by the amount which is necessary in order to permit the advance of the bellshaped intermediate member 50 if, perhaps because of insufficient unwinding, the inner end of the spiral 52 should still be situated between the shoulder 50c and the end face 51b of the plate 51. I

Like the locking member 23, the locking member 54 is used for securing the priming pin 13, which for this purpose is formed with a reduced portion 13c and a collar 13d.

Instead of using two centrifugal spirals 52 and 53 of different width, it would also be possible to provide a single spiral with an inwardly decreasing width.

We claim:

1. Safe period device for spinning projectile fuzes, more especially with graze fuz'ing, comprising a base, a piston plate in the base having a front side and a rear side, a centrifugal spiral on the front side of the plate for safe period purposes for the locking and release of the piston plate which latter is under the action of an advancing force and is movable axially in the fuze, and a second centrifugal spiral on the rear side of the plate to secure a priming pin, the said piston plate engaging the second-mentioned centrifugal spiral for locking the priming pin and when the plate is moved axially the priming pin will be released.

2. Safe period device according to claim 1, in which centrifugal locking members are provided and the piston is mounted in a cylindrical recess of a fuze housing, said piston having the first-mentioned centrifugal spiral, in the wound position, surrounding and holding the centrifugal locking members under an abutment member, said spiral in the unwound condition allowing the centrifugal members to move from beneath the abutment member and release the piston for forward movement, and in which an annular rim is arranged on that side of the piston which faces the base of the fuze, and the piston engaging by means of the said rim over the second-mentioned centrifugal spiral arranged on the flat face of the recess, said second-mentioned spiral engaging a centrifugal member which is positioned beneath a collar on the priming pin and secures the priming pin in position.

3. Safe period device according to claim 1, in which centrifugal locking members are provided and the piston is mounted in a cylindrical recess of a fuze housing, said piston having the first-mentioned centrifugal spiral, in the wound position, surrounding and holding the centrifugal locking members under an abutment member, said spiral in the unwound condition allowing the centrifugal members to move from beneath the abutment member and release the piston for forward movement, and in which an annular rim is arranged on that side of the piston which faces the base of the fuze, and the piston engaging by means of the said rim over the second-mentioned cen trifugal spiral arranged on the bottom face of the recess, said second-mentioned spiral engaging a locking lug which is positioned beneath a collar on the priming pin and secures the priming pin in position, the advancing force for the piston being provided by a coiled spring having initial tension between the piston and the base of the cylinder.

4. Safe period device according to claim 1, in which a bell-shaped member is provided which is mounted on the primer pin and has a plurality of depending arms and a biased advancing spring is provided which is mounted between the said bell-shaped member and a bridge over the second-mentioned centrifugal spiral, said bridge being formed with cut-out portions through which the arms engage formed on the rim of the bell-shaped part.

5. Safe period device for spinning projectile fuzes, particularly with sensitive impact fuzes, comprising a fuze base having a fuze cap thereon, a percussion pin movable in the base and extending into the cap, an abutment member in the cap and around the percussion pin, said base having a bore therein defining a recess, a piston mounted in the recess and around the percussion pin, a centrifugal spiral member on the piston and under the abutment member, centrifugal responsive members within the spiral member and between the piston and the abutment, a second centrifugal spiral member mounted under the piston and around the percussion pin, and means under the piston to restrain the second-mentioned centrifugal spiral member which latter is operative after release of the centrifugal responsive members after the first-mentioned spiral member has operated and moved laterally away from the percussion pin to thereby release the pin.

6. Safe period device for spinning projectile fuzes comprising a percussion pin, a plurality of centrifugal spiral members arranged around the pin in spaced relation to hold the pin in inoperative position and each provided with means operative centrifugally to release the spiral members one after the other to thereby free the percussion pin to an operative position, a plate around the percussion pin and having an annular projection, and a bell-shaped intermediate member around the percussion pin and having an annular projection of the same diameter as the firstmentioned annular projection so that said projections will form a Winding core for one of the centrifugal spirals.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Zeidler Jan. 18, 1921 Methlin Sept. 1, 1925 Methlin Apr. 24, 1934 Weiss Jan. 3, 1950 Granath Feb. 8, 1955 Thompson Aug. 23, 1955 Baker Apr. 30, 1957 Koonz Feb. 17, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS Austria Aug. 11, 1919 France Oct. 11, 1943 

